Career Night.

Not only the players on the court, but even Hollins didn't quite understand what was happening. With the game just starting, calling a timeout wouldn't make much sense, so he substituted Johnson in. 

Johnson's low-post game is practically non-existent, so now the Grizzlies had to rely solely on Conley's playmaking.

As the technical foul was being executed, Han Sen took Randolph's place for the free throw. At this point, technical fouls resulted in two free throws and possession, so the Cavaliers got four free throws in total.

After all the free throws were taken, the score was 3-5, with the Cavaliers leading, and they still had possession.

Williams drove but missed due to Conley's defense. However, Varejao and Jamison grabbed a few offensive boards, and Jamison eventually put the ball in.

Randolph's unexpected exit caught the Grizzlies off guard, and it fired up the Cavaliers as well. 

Randolph's importance was evident—going from a loss to a potential win changes the entire mindset of the players, reflected in how they play.

Conley ran a pick-and-roll with Gasol, but Gasol's layup was blocked by Varejao's effort.

The Cavaliers launched a fast break, and Williams finished with a layup.

3-7. The Cavaliers controlled the momentum early on.

"Defense! Defense!"

The fans in the arena, despite their support for Han Sen, were still cheering for their hometown team. After all, who wouldn't want their team to win?

When Han Sen reached the frontcourt, he signaled a play to Conley.

Johnson set up a screen on the weak side, and Han Sen used the 'Cunningham' screen to move. But the Cavaliers knew this move well, and Jamison was there to help.

Jamison was all over him, so Han Sen quickly drove to his left. As a former teammate, Jamison knew he couldn't keep up, so he coordinated with Varejao for a double team. 

But before Varejao could retreat to the paint, Han Sen had already blown past, finishing a right-handed layup.

Jamison was shocked. "How did Han Sen get so fast?"

On his way back, Han Sen gave him a wink.

The Cavaliers fans started cheering again.

In just one play, Han Sen won back the crowd that had momentarily turned against him, stabilizing the Grizzlies' momentum.

The Cavaliers handed the ball to Mayo, their future star. The former top high school player needed to step up.

Han Sen had never faced Mayo, but he knew him well—he was Wallace's benchmark during Han Sen's workout with the Grizzlies.

Mayo, looking confident, remembered how he had once outperformed Han Sen during those workouts.

But as he drove into the lane for a floater, Han Sen closed in faster than Mayo expected, heavily contesting the shot. The ball didn't even hit the rim.

Mayo's game had hardly improved, while Han Sen had evolved significantly.

Especially with [Iron Body] maxed out from Grover's training, his speed was notably enhanced. Han Sen was clearly on another level now.

Gasol grabbed the defensive rebound, and Han Sen had already sprinted past the free-throw line by the time he looked up.

Gasol launched the ball, and Han Sen sprinted down the court, muscling past Williams for a layup.

The former Cleveland fast-break king delivered again!

The arena roared.

With Randolph on the court, the Grizzlies' offense always ran through him. But with his sudden departure, Han Sen was unleashed!

Cavaliers GM Grant, who was in the arena, watched with furrowed brows as the crowd continued to cheer. 

He dreaded how the media would cover tonight's game.

"It's ridiculous—ridiculously unbelievable," he muttered.

After Han Sen's 4-point streak, the Grizzlies found their defensive rhythm again.

The Cavaliers struggled with two straight drive-and-kick attempts, failing to create any good opportunities.

Johnson wasn't as skilled as Randolph on either end, but his defensive mobility was impressive.

Eventually, the Cavaliers gave the ball to Mayo again.

Mayo forced a floater over Han Sen, but Han Sen waited and timed his jump perfectly.

Bang!

A volleyball-style swat sent the ball flying out of bounds!

Statistically, Mayo had outscored Han Sen this season, but after these two head-to-head matchups, it was like when Han Sen faced LeBron—stats didn't mean a thing.

The Cavaliers couldn't capitalize, and Conley fed the hot hand again—Han Sen.

Academically trained point guards know how to get the ball to the guy on fire.

Han Sen faced off against Jamison again.

Jamison tried to anticipate his move, but Han easily went right past him.

They shared memories of fishing together, but tonight, there was no shared responsibility on the court.

Varejao, hands up, awaited Han Sen's drive. But Han Sen didn't slow down, rising high for a dunk.

Boom!

There was contact, but just as Randolph had called it, Varejao was soft, hitting the floor again.

Crash!

Han Sen dunked over Varejao.

No whistle from the refs!

Just like LeBron's experience in Miami, Varejao's acting career took a nosedive.

Han Sen stepped over Varejao as he lay on the floor.

He looked like a stray dog abandoned by its owner, and he didn't even dare to bark.

The crowd, already hyped by Han's moves, went wild.

The Grizzlies bench erupted.

What a play!

9-7!

After Han Sen's 6-point streak, the Grizzlies took the lead. More importantly, the Cavaliers' momentum, ignited by Randolph's exit, was squashed.

Coach Brown sensed trouble and called a timeout.

As the camera panned to Grant, the arena booed.

Sweat dripped from Grant's forehead. If he had known tonight would turn into such a spectacle, he'd never have shown up.

When play resumed, the Cavaliers subbed in Gibson and Cunningham for Williams and Jamison.

Barely half a quarter had passed, and two starters were already benched. Fans weren't just making Grant uncomfortable—Coach Brown was getting frustrated too.

The Cavaliers missed again, and Han Sen received the ball. Gibson was now defending him.

Gibson and Cunningham weren't as offensively skilled as the starters; they were clearly put in to stop Han Sen.

Facing Gibson, one of LeBron's old guards, Han Sen signaled for isolation.

"What, your king left you too?" Han Sen taunted.

Gibson got heated.

Then, Han Sen blew right past him. 

Gibson was stunned.

Normally, Han Sen's strength would be the issue, but this time, his speed was too much.

Han Sen's explosive growth in just six months was undeniable.

Cunningham quickly rotated over, but Han Sen bumped him, forcing him to stop. A quick floater, and it was good.

Brown's defensive substitution strategy? Still didn't work!

After the bucket, Han Sen pulled at his jersey, his signature move, and the crowd went wild.

Though his jersey was now a Grizzlies one, the number 77 was still the same!

The Cavaliers' offense faltered again.

With Jamison and Williams, the team's second and third leading scorers, benched, the Cavaliers lost half their firepower.

Conley passed to Han Sen again, signaling an empty side play.

Tonight, Cleveland was Han's stage.

Gibson locked eyes with Han Sen, determined to make up for the last possession.

Han Sen didn't trash-talk this time. He made a quick right-handed crossover.

Gibson retreated, but Han pulled back, hitting a step-back three. 

Gibson stumbled, falling to the floor.

The crowd gasped.

Han waited for Gibson to stand up before taking the shot.

Swish!

Nothing but net.

"You should call your king," Han Sen said with a grin, making a phone gesture.

Gibson's spirit was crushed.

As Han Sen ran back, he motioned for the crowd to get louder.

The arena went nuts.

The camera zoomed in on the Cavaliers' bench. The veterans looked conflicted.

It was Han Sen's first time back in Cleveland, but the scene was all too familiar.

Back in practice, Han Sen would dominate the first and second teams, just like tonight. 

The only difference was that back then, there were no spectators; now, 20,000 people were watching.

And all those fans were cheering for Han Sen.

You can imagine how bitter they felt.

They knew the fans were protesting Grant's management, not necessarily rooting against them.

But still, having the home crowd cheer for the opponent? That's brutal.

Just like Han Sen once told Griffin, returning to this familiar place, his hunger for the game was through the roof.

Especially with Randolph's early exit, it unleashed his passion earlier than expected.

Seeing they couldn't contain Han Sen with single coverage, Coach Brown deployed double-teams in the second quarter.

Losing the game was acceptable, but they couldn't let Han Sen keep scoring at will.

But Han just switched to off-ball movement!

The Grizzlies were a 'team-first' squad, running plays rather than relying on individual heroics. Han Sen's first-quarter takeover was just an adjustment to Randolph's sudden absence, not their usual strategy.

Once they returned to team play, Han Sen still found ways to score.

His improved athleticism made his off-ball movement more lethal.

After he slipped past the defense and caught Conley's pass for a gliding layup, Brown looked defeated.

By halftime, Han Sen had shot 11-for-16, scoring 27 points and setting a new personal record for points in a half!

Under his lead, the Grizzlies stretched their halftime lead to 20 points.

The game was basically over.

When the third quarter began, Hollins was no longer standing on the sidelines but was back on the bench.

It was clear that with such a huge lead, he didn't need to micromanage from the sideline anymore.

At that point, the Grizzlies players on the court were intentionally feeding Han Sen the ball.

Players aren't machines, and tonight, Han Sen's performance and his stabilizing plays in those crucial minutes were as clear to them as anyone.

Especially for the starters—Johnson didn't have much scoring ability, Conley and Marc Gasol weren't obsessed with stats, and the only one with some ambition, Gay, had already been won over by Han Sen.

In this quarter alone, Han Sen scored another 16 points, breaking his single-quarter scoring record and bringing his total to 43 points, marking his first 40+ game in his career.

By the end of the third quarter, the Cavaliers trailed the Grizzlies by a full 26 points.

At that point, the game was completely out of reach.

During the break before the final quarter, Joerger came up to Han Sen and asked if he wanted to go out at the start of the fourth quarter to play a bit more.

The implication was obvious—the coaching staff was asking if he wanted to pad his stats a bit more.

After all, Han Sen had scored over 40 points, making it the night of his career.

If he could push his score even higher, maybe hitting 50+, the PR would be even better.

Han Sen shook his head.

If the opponent had been the Heat and they had some garbage time, he wouldn't have minded going back out there, as it could rile up LeBron fans to generate more hater points for him.

But tonight, this away game felt fake.

It didn't hold much meaning for him.

Still, Han Sen wasn't idle while sitting on the bench, as he noticed Cunningham was on the court.

He watched for a bit and saw that Cunningham had developed a new move this season—a long two after taking one dribble inside the three-point line.

This little trick clearly made it much harder for defenders to guard him compared to before.

Even though Han was no longer in Cleveland, the kid hadn't slacked off.

Then, Han Sen 'incidentally' noticed Thabeet's performance on the court.

This guy... was hard to watch.

He looked big, but his ability to withstand contact was terrible—even Carroll could knock him back with a simple bump.

A big man without physicality has no chance of surviving in the NBA.

With just over five minutes left and the score difference still over 30 points, the camera panned to Grant again, and the crowd started chanting a familiar phrase, "Who is your daddy!" in unison, led by an unknown fan.

That familiar chant—no one could resist it!

Even Han Sen couldn't hold back his laughter.

At least give the front office a little bit of dignity.

Just a little.

After the chant erupted, Grant, who had been trying to stay composed, finally couldn't take it anymore. He got up and left the arena early.

This place was really unbearable for him.

However, his exit was destined to become one of the iconic photos of the Cavaliers' season after the game.

After the game, the players from both sides exchanged handshakes.

The new guys on the Cavaliers looked somewhat dejected. After all, they wouldn't want to experience another night like this again.

But the old guys, like Cunningham, were all smiles when shaking hands with Han Sen.

After the start they'd had, it was clear the Cavs were tanking, and there was little they could do. But seeing Han Sen's career night, they were genuinely happy for him.

---

After the game, Han attended the post-game press conference.

A lot of reporters showed up, many of them local.

What happened tonight was beyond bizarre, and the buzz was off the charts.

"Han, you scored 43 points tonight, a new career-high. What does this mean to you?"

Han Sen smirked slightly. "Well, I guess it means it's my career night, right? Nah, honestly, it's a huge thanks to my teammates. Their support was everything tonight. And the coaching staff, they trusted me and put me in those positions. I also gotta shout out the fans—they were loud and amazing out there. That energy meant a lot."

Han Sen's response was unusually normal.

"Did you expect something like this to happen before the game?" the reporter followed up.

"Not at all. I mean, sure, you always feel something special before a big game, but everything—like the cheers and then the chants—it was crazy. When they started chanting, 'Who is your daddy?'—that's just something else, man. It really hit me."

"It was a wild atmosphere, and it's those moments that stick with you. The fans, they're the realest out there." Han Sen said sincerely.

The Cavs' front office might be terrible, but Cleveland's fans were great.

It was precisely this contrast that created such a unique scene tonight.

"Did your performance tonight have anything to do with the Cavaliers trading you?" another reporter asked, going straight to the heart of the matter.

"Yeah, maybe. You always want to prove something," Han Sen admitted. "It's like, when you're out there, it's personal. But in the end, it was about giving the fans a show. That means a lot more."

"We know you and LeBron played together in Cleveland. Does your growth now relate back to that experience?" an ESPN reporter asked.

Han smiled, "Next question."

...

After the press conference, Han Sen returned to the locker room to take a shower.

Conley was still there, and when he saw Han, he approached him directly. "Zach…"

It seemed Conley wanted to talk about Randolph.

"Mike, I have plans tonight."

But Han Sen didn't engage in the conversation. Instead, he started taking off his jersey to shower.

He really wasn't in the mood to talk about Randolph because Swift was still waiting for him.

He'd finished the game on the court, but there was another intense match waiting for him later that night.

He had to thank his old Cavs teammates for letting him rest on the bench in the fourth quarter. His energy levels were at their peak right now.